The Legislative Yuan passed the draft bill governing the implementation of transitional justice in Taiwan on Dec. 5. Calling it a true reflection of this generation’s ability to face the past and begin coming to terms with historic truths, Culture Minister Cheng Li-chiun touts the bill as another building block in the foundation of Taiwan’s ever-deepening democracy.

The Minister noted that “removing the symbols of authoritarianism” and “preserving negative heritage sites” are the two main objectives of the bill. Upon the bill’s promulgation, Taiwan will also hasten to compensate victims of institutional violence, uncover the hidden past and make public all relevant materials, and seek reconciliation for Taiwanese society.

The “Implementation Act for Transitional Justice (促進轉型正義條例)” will also provide the legal basis for many of the projects formulated by the Ministry of Culture, and kick start the process for transforming the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei.

The Ministry of Culture launched a digital platform on Dec. 1 to cohere social consensus through the provision of open information and a variety of discussion channels, in which the public is invited to reflect on how to best transform the memorial hall to achieve transitional justice. Log onto http://_____cks.moc.gov.tw to participate.

Based on the feedback of such deliberative civic discussions, the Ministry of Culture will then amend the current “Provisional Act Governing the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Management Office.” The draft amendment will then be discussed and refined through public hearings before submission to the Legislative Yuan.

Through social dialogue and public participation, the Culture Minister hopes to “free” the memorial hall from its authoritarian roots and transform the public grounds to an open space that can be enjoyed by all.

To promote transitional justice in Taiwan, the Ministry of Culture signed a memorandum with the Taipei City Government and the Memorial Foundation of 228 on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the February 28 Incident.

The exhibition is curated based on contemporary research on historical sites in relations to the period of White Terror. Between 2014 and 2015, the research project identified 45 negative heritage sites across Taiwan that were used for prosecution under martial law.